Emergency Department expansion at university campus halfway complete
Project adds 13 rooms, additional triage space, and support for Iowans in crisis
It's no secret that the Emergency Department on University of Iowa Health Care’s university campus is one of the busiest in the state. The team treats the most complex emergency and trauma cases, and the sheer volume of patients needing this high level of care often leads to longer wait times.
This is why UI Health Care prioritized an expansion of the Emergency Department to better serve the emergency care needs of Iowans.
“In an emergency situation, Iowans with complex care needs often require UI Health Care’s high level of coordination and expertise,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “Our goal is to improve access, so that no matter where you go first for emergency care treatment, we can help you get the right care at the right time.”
The project includes the addition of more than a dozen treatment rooms, a new triage area, as well as multifunctional spaces that can—among other things—support the team’s abilities for assessing and treating those in crisis. Once complete, the Emergency Department will have almost 60 beds. This expansion is just one of several efforts underway to reduce wait times while supporting UI Health Care’s ability to care for Iowans’ critical care needs.
“Whether a patient is transferred to the Emergency Department for critical care or they choose to come to university campus first, these additional spaces will increase access to UI Health Care and our ability to accept patients and to render quality care efficiently,” says Andrew Nugent, MD, MHA, FACEP, clinical professor of emergency medicine and chair and departmental executive officer for the Department of Emergency Medicine at UI Health Care.
Construction in and around the university campus has been taking place for over a year, and the project is about halfway to completion. The project, combined with improved triage to the downtown campus, and the addition of an emergency department at North Liberty campus, will mean greater access and convenience for Iowans.
- Downtown campus Emergency Department: increased triage and enhanced imaging capabilities
- North Liberty campus Emergency Department (opening summer 2025)
- University campus Emergency Department expansion (scheduled for completion in summer 2025)
- Ongoing patient education on when to use urgent care vs. an emergency department
About the expansion project
The expansion will increase the university’s Emergency Department capacity by 13 beds and create two new dedicated triage spaces for pediatric and behavioral health emergencies. The additional space will help to improve overall capacity, efficiency, and the patient experience in the Emergency Department.
"Increasing access to more timely emergency care requires a multi-faceted approach and expanding the university campus’ Emergency Department is only one piece of the puzzle," says Nugent.
In addition to expanding the Emergency Department ‘s capacity at the university campus, UI Health Care is working to help patients better understand their emergency care options as new access points are added, like the emergency departments at the downtown campus and North Liberty campus.
“Right now, the Emergency Department at the downtown campus is open and providing excellent, high-quality emergency care, and wait times are much lower,” says Nugent. “It’s important that we help patients remember their options so they can make more informed decisions on where to go for emergency care.”
Patients can find emergency care options and wait times on uihc.org.
Project timeline
There are two phases of the project: Phase 1, the south expansion, is well underway and will allow for the relocation of the adult Crisis Stabilization Unit from Level 7 of John Pappajohn Pavilion to the Emergency Department and create space for a pediatric Crisis Stabilization Unit. Phase 2, the north expansion, will begin this fall and create a new, expanded pediatric emergency space with a dedicated waiting room.
